Thousands of missing dollars tops police blotter

10/14/2013

By Shara Wallace

Internal investigationKing County Sheriffʼs Deputy Andy Conner was put on administrative leave last spring, following allegations that thousands of dollars were missing from The Genesis Project. The Genesis Project is a non-profit drop-in shelter that Conner founded to offer prostitutes a way to escape the streets. The FBI got involved to determine whether a crime had been committed and the Sheriff's Office demanded Conner turn over his badge and gun while they performed an internal investigation. A five month investigation cleared Conner of any criminal wrongdoing. Conner's gun and badge have been returned to him and he has returned to his regular duties working as a DUI officer in the SeaTac area. Sheriff John Urquhart said that while the U.S. Attorney's Office concluded that there was no evidence of a crime, the federal investigation did turn up sloppy accounting and poor management at the center. "Because of everything that's happened, we will no longer be referring any girls or women to The Genesis Project," Urquhart said.

Signs slashed twice in two daysCampaign signs for Des Moines Municipal Court Judge Veronica Galvan were vandalized twice over the weekend. The signs, placed along Des Moines Memorial Drive, were cut off their stakes with a blade or sharp implement. Galvanʼs signs were initially vandalized sometime Friday evening. The culprit cut one side off each sign, so only half of each sign was left on the stake. A campaign volunteer replaced the damaged signs on Saturday. Then, on Saturday night, the signs were hit again. This time, both sides of the signs were cut off, leaving only the stakes. Galvan noted that the manner in which the signs were taken down feels threatening. “This is more than a mere knocking down of signs,” said Judge Galvan. “Someone went to extra effort to send a message.” No other candidates signs on that stretch of Des Moines Memorial Drive were vandalized.

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